It felt important right now to come back to the words and teachings of Howard Zinn, when the U.S. government is causing and propagating so much fear and racism and oppression and just plain meanness, and things seem tilted toward hopelessness. This is the third in my series of mix-tributes to Zinn, and the vocal samples here come from a few great interviews and programs you can find on Youtube, including a great interview Laura Flanders did with the amazing Staceyann Chin and Imani Perry a couple years ago: www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4R3-OyS2ho

The beats are from a variety of producers, all vinyl selections from the crates. Finally, in these times, I always turn back to this essay from Zinn: www.howardzinn.org/collection/a-marvelous-victory/ 'What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places—and there are so many—where people have behaved magnificently, it energizes us to act, and raises at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.'

Two legends have passed on recently - Roberta Flack and Gwen McCrae, both of whom had records that have been important to me for many years. Unfortunately some of my Roberta Flack records were damaged in a flood years ago, and so I tried to pull a few favorites from what I still have, and mostly less obvious pieces from both artists catalogs.

Back this week with some amazing pianists covering jazz (?) standards (?) old and new! Some recent digs and some old favorites. Enjoy. Tracklist: Tony Lee, Johnny Costa, DJM Trio, Eugen Cicero, Ashley Henry, Herbie Hancock

Ok, this is a really special one. The amazing artist Josh MacPhee, of JustSeeds.org and many other places, has dug deep into his incredible collection of revolutionary wax and put together an incredible and inspiring mix for Pullin from the Stacks! Everything from funk, free jazz, hard rock, folk, nu-wave and more, from all parts of the globe, all off original wax. Commie Freaks!! (Josh's name but I actually had a high school teacher call me that once lol). Please please follow Josh and check out and support his and other JustSeeds artists' amazing work!! And check out this entire mix - I guarantee there's records on here you've never ever heard before! Tracklist available on Soundcloud.

I love records. But I love records because I love music. And sometimes, in fact often, great music doesn't get pressed on vinyl. And that's ok! That's why Bandcamp is so great. It's endless in how much great stuff is available there. Here's just a small sampling of the beautiful music I've found that as far as I know, has not been pressed onto vinyl, but is available digitally if you seek it out. Tracklist: Jazzbois, Nautilus, Raffy Bushman, Okonski, Soil Pimp Sessions, Chicago Soul Jazz Collective, Sunstrider

Some music for these extremely troubled times. Hope everyone is staying as safe and healthy as possible. Tracklist: Adrienne Rich, Dollar Brand, Melvin Sparks, Sly5thAve, Ill Considered, Latarnik, Dezron Douglas and Brandee Younger

Seemed like a good moment to salute the city of LA, a city I never thought I'd end up residing in as a kid but where I now live and don't plan on leaving. A huge city, where horrible fires and climate change have destroyed the homes of thousands of people including some of those featured on this mix. If you are looking to support folks in need, check out: mutualaidla.org/ I recorded this mix live on Twitch, totally unplanned and a bit rough but fun, might try and do that more often this year? We'll see. Thanks as always for tuning in! Tracklist: Elusive ft. Aceyalone, will.i.am, People Under the Stairs, Warren G, Warren G, Vooodu ft. Meen Green, Funkdoobiest ft. Cypress Hill, Kankick, Lootpack, Snoop Dogg, Abstract Tribe Unique, MC Eiht, Pharcyde, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Phoenix Orion, MURS, DJ Quik, Warren G, Alkaholiks, Yo-Yo, Madlib, T-Love ft. Chali2na, Haiku D'Etat, Medusa

Spent the holidays in Portland with the family, had some good adventures at the record shops and thrift stores - one of these records I pulled out from underneath an old rug at a Goodwill for a dollar. Was fun getting back into the sale bins and antique stores rather than just shopping at the fancy places. Grabbed all of these while on the trip, with one being gifted to me by the homie while there. Now it's a New Year and the other side of Los Angeles is burning up and Trump begins his reign in under two weeks. Hope these tunes bring some type of calm for a few moments in between all the horrible things in the world. Tracklist: Baba Yaga, Bronx River Parkway, Johnny Frigo Sextet, Marva Josie, Ed Bennett, Stanley Cowell, The Piano Choir, the Cosmic Tones Research Trio, Eje Thelin Group

Ending the year with a number of my favorite purchases this past year. Maybe one or two of these I actually "dug" up somewhere - the Dick Drew Trio was something I pulled out from deep under other record racks in a store in Las Vegas last May, for instance, but I also bought several of these via Discogs. Record collecting continues to change in ways that make it less familiar to me - many records are now status symbols for wealthy people to show off rather than listen to, when previously they were "status" symbols for many of us in terms of our digging commitment or record knowledge. Actual "digging" for records isn't something I've had as much time for, but still what I love. But shout out to the amazing dealers who are out there with the rusty shovels every week, finding these gold nuggets for the rest of us! And huge, huge thank you to all the people tuning into the podcast - you are massively appreciated! Tracklist: Raffy Bushman, Latin Tempo, Sambalanco Trio, Dick Drew Trio, Masaru Imada Trio, Milcho Leviev, Frank Cunimondo Trio, Morning Sky, Jazzbois, Aquila, Johnny Costa, Billy Harper Quintet

Putting together a mix of my favorite digs this past year, but first, a few more recent finds and classic selections! Tracklist: David Axelrod, Howard Wales, Visioneers, Barbara Carroll, Don Randi, Patrice Rushen